July 1 marks the day when the majority of the laws passed during the 2025 Kansas legislative session go into effect. On Wednesday, Human Resources sent an email providing information on the impact of Senate Bill 166, known as the Fostering Competitive Career Opportunities Act.

Signed into law in March, the bill requires the removal of unnecessary postsecondary degree requirements from hiring considerations for state employment positions.  

Prior to posting, HR’s Talent Acquisition team will be reviewing required qualifications for each Unclassified Professional Staff and University Support Staff job description to determine if a postsecondary degree is required or if an equivalency statement needs to be added. Job descriptions for currently filled positions will not require revision at this time. 

For more information visit the Human Resources webpage. 

Deadline 5 p.m. Aug. 22

Eligible faculty members have until Aug. 22 to enroll in the Faculty Academic Year Pay Reserve for Summer Disbursement program for the 2025-26 academic year. Those who participated last year must re-enroll to participate in the coming academic year.   

The program reserves a portion of after-tax pay from every full pay period during the academic year and then evenly disburses those funds to the participating faculty member during the summer. All academic year faculty, tenured and tenure-track faculty, unclassified academic staff, and lecturers hired for the upcoming academic year are eligible for the program.  

Eligible faculty members can enroll at HR AY Reserve. More information is available on the Human Resources website. 

Caty Movich’s can-do attitude and work to revamp the Institute for Policy and Social Research’s record-keeping system have earned her recognition as a June Employee of the Month.  

Since Movich stepped into the complex position of administrative associate senior for the busy research center, she has been a model employee who truly cares about her job and strives for efficiency, her nominator wrote. 

Those characteristics were on display when Movich agreed to overhaul the IPSR’s grant record-keeping system. 

“Her contribution to the team has saved us countless hours in terms of making this system incredibly efficient and easy to use,” a colleague noted. “Most importantly, we now can absolutely trust and rely on this data, without having to review it multiple times first, and then confidently report it out with pride.” 

Charles Wooters has been selected as a June Employee of the Month, recognized for his exceptional thoroughness, attention to detail and professionalism in keeping the Lawrence campus secure.  

As supervisor of KU Lock Shop, a division within Operations’ Locks, Access & Security Technology Services team, Wooters oversees all key orders, lock changes and door hardware updates. He also provides support for all keypads, card readers and biometric readers used for electronic access control. 

“Charles has incredible in-depth locksmithing expertise and has consistently demonstrated the highest quality of professionalism in every capacity that I have worked with him over the last several years,” his nominator said. “He is a very hard worker who does not settle for acceptable but always strives for exceptional.” 

Read more about Movich and Wooters’ work on the Employee of the Month Winners webpage.  

This month three candidates for director of the Applied English Center will give public presentations. The AEC director will lead English language instruction and cultural integration for international students as well as expand KU’s global reach through curriculum, partnerships and strategic planning. 

Presentations will take place at the Forum at Marvin Hall on the following dates:  

Candidate information will be released two business days before their respective presentation on the AEC Director Search webpage. 

Public input is crucial for shaping the Applied English Center’s future. After each presentation, attendees can share feedback through a survey. 

Student hourly employees may be eligible for an increase in pay due to performance, longevity, acquisition of new credentials, cost of living and other factors.

This type of increase is processed twice a year with the increase taking effect at the beginning of each semester. The fall semester deadline for submitting a raise request for student hourly employees is July 24. The pay increase will take effect Aug. 3.

All increases must be recommended by the supervisor, funded and in alignment with the unit’s overall budgetary plans for fiscal year 2026 and approved by the unit hierarchy.

More details about the process are available on the Student Hourly Compensation page. Please reach out to the HR Transactions Team with questions.

Apply by July 11

The deadline for the fall 2025 Tuition Assistance application for employees has been extended to Friday. The program provides employees with assistance to cover tuition for up to 12 credit hours per calendar year. Visit the Tuition Assistance webpage for more information.  

The City of Lawrence has closed the section of 19th Street that sits just west of Iowa Street and east of Constant Avenue. The section will be closed until the beginning of August. Westbound traffic on 19th Street will be able to turn north and south onto Iowa Street. Traffic heading south can use 21st Street as a detour around the closure, and those heading north can use Bob Billings Parkway to Crestline Drive. Constant Avenue will remain open.  

For the latest on road and parking lot construction projects, visit the Construction Information and Closures webpage. 

George Hosler, associate director of identity and access management for the KU Medical Center, died May 29.  

Hosler worked for the Lawrence campus from 2004-2019 and then for the KU Medical Center Kansas City campus since 2019.  

A celebration of life service was held on June 21. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Diabetes Association. Read his obituary on the Porter Funeral Home website.  

This summer Kansas Tourism is encouraging Kansas families to explore their state with free admission to more than 200 attractions.  The Sunflower Summer program runs from July 12 to Aug. 3 and is eligible for Kansas students ages pre-K through 12th grade. One adult ticket is provided per transaction.

Download the Sunflower Summer app on Apple or Android devices to receive free entry into museums, zoos, state parks and other attractions across the state.  

This spring during the University Research Awards ceremony, Chancellor Doug Girod celebrated some of KU's most outstanding researchers and their impact. 

Elaina Sutley, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, received a University Scholarly Achievement Award. In the video above, Sutley describes her work to design structures that improve community resilience from natural hazards and disaster. 

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The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or online and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or online.

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